On July 11, mentalist and comedy magician Ben Price brings his brand-new show, Psych-ish: An Evening of Honest Deception, to the Sterndale Bennett Theatre.
Psych-ish is a fast-paced, hilarious, and highly interactive show designed specifically for adults and older teens.
Price noted he doesn’t have a magical gift, “and I definitely don’t talk to your dead aunt. I’m just a very high-level B.S. artist.”
Audience members often ask Price when he realized he had this uncanny ability to “read minds.”
“They’re either surprised or disappointed to figure out I don’t have any actual psychic skill. It’s all tricks. It’s all sleight of hand. I titled the show Psych-ish because I’m giving the impression I can read your mind and figure out what you’re thinking and maybe influence your thoughts and feelings. But I’m a magician,” Price explained.
Price said he’s been doing the magical shtick for the past 15 or so years. “Every show is very interactive. It’s comedy, it’s magic, and it’s a lot of fun.”
According to Price, he was born and raised in Lethbridge and for the past five years he’s been performing primarily on cruise ships for 270 days out of the year, then doing corporate events around Calgary over the holidays. “So, I could be home for Christmas.”
“I’m trying to transition now from doing primarily cruises to on-land shows and I thought what better place to start than putting together a brand-new show. This is all new material,” Price shared.
Price tries to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in Lethbridge because his family still lives in the city.
“I know quite a bit of the theatre goings on, and I know there’s not a lot of magic and magic is a hard thing to find in Canada,” he said. “It’s a booming industry in the United States.”
In the U.S., Price noted, there’s the Magic Castle, the Chicago Magic Lounge, and the House of Cards in Nashville.
“I’d really like to see that happen more in Canada, so I’m happy to be able to offer magic as a different form of entertainment because live theatre is still happening. It’s just not in the variety arts,” he added.
Historically, Price has the classic story of becoming a magician. “I got a kit when I was younger.”
“I was really interested in magic as a child, so when I got this kit, it helped my interest blossom a little bit by learning the card tricks, cups and balls and rope tricks. Learning the fundamentals. As I got older and was able to get more books and watch instructional videos on VHS tapes, it just grew from there,” he explained.
Check out Ben Price live. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available online at benpricemagic.com/tickets.
